Ole miss kept its $4,000-yard quarterback and record-setting back… Then rebuilt almost everything else around them

Lane Kiffin left for LSU right after Ole Miss secured its first-ever College Football Playoff berth, but the Rebels didn’t miss a beat in the portal. Pete Golding, promoted from defensive coordinator, took over as head coach and inherited a roster coming off a program-best 13-2 season — then went out and added 29 new transfers to reload around returning superstars Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy The scout Start with what Ole Miss kept, because that’s the engine. while most of the SEC was scrambling to replace quarterbacks and running backs, the Rebels locked in the best backfield in college football: Chambliss, who threw for 3,937 yards and 22 touchdowns with just three interceptions in 2025, and Lacy, who set single-season school records with 306 carries, 1,567 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns. Chambliss is the centerpiece, and the numbers back up the hype. after transferring in from D-II national champion Ferris State, he started the final 13 games of 2025, completing 66.1% of his passes and setting a new Ole Miss record with 12 games of 250+ passing yards. he finished eighth in the Heisman voting, earned second-team All-SEC honors, and enters 2026 as PFF’s No. 4 quarterback in the country. Lacy is the offensive equivalent of that story. he led the FBS in rushing attempts (307) and all Power Four backs in rushing touchdowns (24), while ranking second nationally in rushing yards (1,564) and forcing 89 missed tackles. he’s a preseason first-team All-American, a lock for touches, and the cover athlete for EA Sports College Football 27 — and Golding didn’t even have to recruit him to stay, because Lacy never entered the porta. The position without an answer yet is… well, almost everything else. Ole Miss lost six offensive starters and seven defensive starters from 2025, including both starting tackles to the NFL and its top tackler and sack leader on defense. the offensive line is the biggest concern — interior returners Delano Townsend, Brycen Sanders and Patrick Kutas all posted PFF grades below 65.0 last season, and the new tackles (Terez Davis, LSU transfer Carius Curne) are unproven at this level. On defense, Golding is not walking in as a stranger to the side of the ball he inherited. he was the defensive coordinator before becoming head coach, and he brought in a wave of experienced transfers to fill the gaps: edge rushers Blake Purchase (Oregon), Jordan Renaud (Alabama) and Jonathan Maldonado (Nevada); linebackers Luke Ferrelli (Cal), Keaton Thomas (Baylor) and Tah’j Butler (Georgia Tech); and safeties Joenel Aguero (Georgia), Sharif Denson (Florida) and Edwin Joseph (Florida State). the players are already buying in — Suntarine Perkins, the team’s leading returning tackler with 81 stops and 12.5 TFLs in 2025, called the new group “deep, fast and hungry” at SEC Media Days. Fantasy · IDP · Dynasty Kewan Lacy is as close to a locked-in dynasty RB1 as this preview gets — proven, featured, and running behind a scheme that led the FBS in rushing attempts last year. even with an unsettled offensive line, a back this productive in the SEC does not need perfect blocking to produce value. Trinidad Chambliss is a high-end QB1 in best-ball and a solid dynasty starter, but he’s not immune to the offensive line questions — his Russell Wilson-esque playmaking style means. He’ll create under pressure, but that also means more hits and more variance week to week. on IDP, Suntarine Perkins is a safe, proven add coming off an 81-tackle season with double-digit TFLs, and Will Echoles is a must-stash DT in deeper leagues after leading all Power Four interior defenders in snaps (765) and defensive stops (35) in 2025. Players to watch Trinidad Chambliss — QB, the state’s best returning passer and a lock for 3,500+ yards and 20+ TDs regardless of who’s catching